


heartfelt

by miiniwa



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-10 20:14:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11133942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miiniwa/pseuds/miiniwa
Summary: —And within those few crucial seconds, he had decided to walk towards him, grab onto his hand, and confess his feelings in the most unplanned and unorganized way he probably ever could, because the look in Subaru's eyes — bright and blue and seemingly twinkling with a glow akin to morning stars — had almost been too much.





	heartfelt

**Author's Note:**

> SPARE ME of using one of the cheesiest lines of this whole fic as the summary, i didn't know what else to put tbh ;;; (this is the summary struggle)

At one in the afternoon, during lunch break in the classroom, Subaru is sitting quietly at his desk, wondering whether or not he's currently in real life.

 

He pinches his face, cringing when it actually hurts, and promptly turning into a flustered mess when he realizes that he's not dreaming, that yesterday's after school ordeal of Hokuto asking him to date him had indeed been _real_.

 

Subaru leans forward, slowly, until his forehead meets the cool surface of his desk.

 

His mind had realized that from that point forward, they would be walking home together as a couple, eating lunch together as a couple, looking at each other _as a couple_ , and just those thoughts alone had been enough to set off a ticklish flutter in his chest, slightly unbearable.

 

_I have to calm down_ , he presses his lips into a straight line, fishing through his pocket before he takes out a few coins, letting the shininess soothe him.

 

Almost across the room, Hokuto is seated at his desk in nearly the same situation, vaguely wondering if yesterday had actually been some sort of fake, augmented reality.

 

He closes his eyes, doing his best to replay the events from yesterday after school, where he had suddenly felt as if he had been standing at the edge of the world, in the case where taking any type of step forward could completely change his future.

 

And within those few crucial seconds, he had decided to walk towards him, grab onto his hand, and confess his feelings in the most unplanned and unorganized way he probably ever could, because the look in Subaru's eyes — bright and blue and seemingly twinkling with a glow akin to morning stars — had almost been too much.

 

_I really said it, didn't I_ , Hokuto thinks to himself, face pressed against his desk, a mostly unusual position to see him in, but at the moment, he doesn't really care.

 

He moves his hand, holding it in front of him, when he remembers how warm it had been yesterday, when he and Subaru had been walking to the train station, holding hands but immaturely refusing to look at one another.

 

He frowns, hastily sitting up in his seat, reminding himself that he should be calm about the whole situation, because he knows that if he isn't, Subaru certainly won't be either.

 

Reluctantly, Hokuto turns around, where Subaru is still seated by himself, probably because Makoto had gone to the cafeteria to buy food, currently occupying himself with the shiny metal part of his mechanical pencil.

 

He catches his gaze, unexpectedly, and Subaru noticeably jumps in his spot, before looking elsewhere, pretending not to see, and for a very brief second, Hokuto feels somewhat annoyed.

 

He sighs, grabbing onto his school bag where his lunch is, before he walks over towards Subaru.

 

"Hey," Hokuto says, pulling a chair to share the desk with him, and Subaru sits up with his back completely straight, awkward and painfully obvious.

 

"Oh, Hokke. Nice weather today, huh?" Subaru points out, completely unnatural, before he starts rummaging through his bag for his own lunch.

 

"Not...really," Hokuto replies, glancing out the window, where the rain is steadily falling, and Subaru noticeably pales at his mistake.

 

"Just kidding!" Subaru plays it off with a tiny laugh, tearing open the package of the bread he had brought from home.

 

Hokuto eats the eggs from his lunch, staring at him quietly, because just yesterday, at this same time, Subaru had been acting completely natural around him, grinning and laughing with absolutely no boundaries.

 

"Akehoshi," Hokuto calls out, placing his chopsticks down.

 

"Um, yeah?" Subaru manages to say, through a mouthful of bread.

 

"I like you," Hokuto tells him, voice slightly hushed so that no one else will hear it, and Subaru's face instantly turns a bright shade of red.

 

"Yeah, you...you told me that yesterday, so I already know," he says, gaze cast off to the side.

 

"Then get used to it," Hokuto says, crossing his arms, and when Subaru finally looks over at him, he doesn't quite expect to see the glint of confidence and seriousness in Hokuto's eyes.

 

"What I'm trying to say is that I liked you yesterday, and I like you today too, so you don't have to see things that differently," he explains, and with that, Subaru can't help the laugh that escapes his lips.

 

"Why are you laughing?" Hokuto questions, a slight furrow to his brow, before Subaru beams over at him, strikingly bright.

 

"You're just so _you_ , Hokke," he tells him, before munching on his bread again, leaving Hokuto to his thoughts.

 

_Well, it's fine_ , Hokuto sighs, picking up his chopsticks again, deciding that as long as Subaru is smiling, his world is at peace.

 

"Hey! You guys seriously started without me?" Makoto demands, appearing next to them with an armful of food he had just bought.

 

"The early bird gets the worm, Ukki," Subaru declares, as Makoto is pushing their tables together.

 

"Even _I_ know that that line has nothing to do with the situation," Makoto complains, with Hokuto watching as Subaru laughs freely, and the day continues quietly, casually.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

The next few weeks progressed noisily after that, with constant preparations for lives and stray jobs. Both Hokuto and Subaru focused mainly on nothing but work and practice, although they had made it an unspoken promise to walk home together whenever they had the chance.

 

"Hokke, there's somewhere I want to go today," Subaru says, after classes are done with for the day, and Hokuto lifts his head from his desk, somewhat dazed from the live they had had just the day before.

 

"That's fine with me. I guess it should be okay to relax after all the work we put in," Hokuto replies, slowly standing up from his seat.

 

"I thought you would be a bit more exhausted though," Hokuto adds, perplexed by Subaru's energy, although he figures that it shouldn't be anything new.

 

"I felt really refreshed after that live!" Subaru tells him, cheerful.

 

"But I'm actually kind of tired too, so I'll probably sleep right when I get home," Subaru continues, as they're exiting the classroom.

 

"Don't nap for too long. Anyway, where's the place you wanted to go?" Hokuto questions, curious.

 

"It's my secret spot! I figured that I'd bring you there today," Subaru explains, and Hokuto glances off to the side, feeling a light twinge in his chest, which is probably a mix of something between happiness and appreciation.

 

As it turns out, Subaru's secret destination is a small shop located at the corner of a street, which he claims 'has the best pork and vegetable skewers.' The area around it is mostly quiet, and Hokuto notices that it's also quite close to Subaru's place.

 

"I'm back!" Subaru announces as they enter the shop, and Hokuto raises a brow at his greeting.

 

A middle aged man at the counter smiles warmly at them, and when he addresses Subaru by name, Hokuto realizes that he must be a regular here.

 

"I'll have the usual. Oh, and you can get him the same thing too," Subaru says, briefly pointing over at Hokuto, who instinctively bows his head in respect.

 

The man shouts an enthusiastic "I'm on it!" before he disappears past the cloth curtain and into the kitchen.

 

"It's a small place," Subaru remarks, as they take their seats at the counter and place their bags down.

 

"It's peaceful," Hokuto nods, thinking that his grandmother would probably like this sort of atmosphere.

 

"And the owner's super nice," Subaru tells him, and Hokuto nods further in agreement.

 

"And, um..." He turns a little to the side, eyes seemingly drawn to the wall, and Hokuto peers over, brow raised.

 

"He was friends with my dad," Subaru admits, and past him, past bright orange colors, Hokuto can see various photos posted on the wall, featuring a line of high school boys, dressed in familiar school colors, which he quickly realizes are those of Yumenosaki.

 

Hokuto opens his mouth, meaning to say something, but frowns when nothing actually comes to mind, and he leans back in his seat, feeling somewhat frustrated with himself.

 

"So sometimes I would just drop by here to listen to stories about him, from when he was still alive, you know," Subaru says, and with his face turned, Hokuto can't help but wonder what kind of expression he's making.

 

He wonders how long Subaru has been coming here, and wonders how many times Subaru would sit down in this spot, by himself, to hear stories about his father who had already passed away.

 

He wonders if Subaru had ever made this place a spot for comfort, if he ever decided that this is the place he would go whenever he felt down. He wonders about all the times Subaru would come here after school or practice, without telling anyone.

 

In that moment, Hokuto realizes that there's still so much he doesn't know about the person seated right next to him, despite spending almost everyday together.

 

Before Hokuto can finally offer any words, the owner returns with their meal, two servings of three pork skewers and three vegetable skewers, all doused with something like teriyaki sauce.

 

Throughout the time that they're there, listening to stories of when Subaru's father was a school idol, over plates of warm tasting skewers, Subaru is smiling, and Hokuto notices, faintly so, that the shine in Subaru's eyes is different than usual.

 

...

 

In the end, Hokuto decides to stay over at Subaru's place for a bit, with it being already close in proximity, and with his exhaustion being at its peak.

 

Daikichi happily greets them at the entrance, and Hokuto doesn't ever remember a time where he had been tossed to the floor by such a small dog.

 

"Oh, hey, be careful. Hokke's fragile," Subaru says teasingly, bending down to speak to Daikichi, before lending a hand to Hokuto.

 

"If that was supposed to be a joke, it wasn't funny," Hokuto sighs, taking Subaru's hand before he pulls him up, and he can't deny that he feels relieved at the fact that Subaru seems to be okay.

 

They go up to Subaru's room, and it's all familiar scenery to Hokuto.

 

... _But it looks a bit messier than last time_ , Hokuto frowns, eyes unconsciously drawn to the unfolded clothes and paper scattered across the floor.

 

Hokuto quietly takes a seat on the floor, on a space where the mess hadn't made its mark, with his back against the bed, and he realizes that after eating all those skewers and staying in the shop for so long, he feels tired.

 

"Akehoshi," he calls out, softly, as Subaru is hanging up his school blazer, an almost questioning action considering all the clothes he had left on the floor.

 

"Hm?" Subaru turns, spotting Hokuto sitting on his floor and gesturing for him to come over. Subaru puts his hood over his head, for no reason in particular, before he walks over to him.

 

He sits right in front of Hokuto, not quite knowing what exactly to expect, although it's safe to say that having Hokuto lean forward and hug him had been one of the last things on his mind.

 

Everything around him is suddenly warm, and no matter how many times Subaru blinks, the familiar shade of dark, comforting blue, Hokuto's hair, is stuck clearly within his vision.

 

"Um? Hokke? What...what're you doing?" Subaru questions, gaze flickering everywhere besides the person right in front of him.

 

Hokuto heaves out a long sigh, feeling mostly at peace, because he realizes that he genuinely wants to know more about Subaru, even if it's only by this much for now.

 

It's probably childish to act like this, he realizes, probably immature, but he quickly pushes those thoughts to the back of his mind, deciding to focus completely on the current moment, Subaru, and nothing else.

 

_His scent, the warmth and the shape of his shoulders_ , Hokuto closes his eyes, quietly processing it all to commit it to muscle memory.

 

Against him, Subaru shifts a little, before carefully putting a hand on his back.

 

"Hokke?"

 

He realizes that hearing his voice is more calming than ever.

 

"Did something happen?" Subaru questions.

 

"Kind of," Hokuto replies, still appreciating his warmth, and it's not entirely a lie.

 

"But I don't want to talk about it, not now anyway," he continues, deciding to keep his thoughts to himself, even if it's probably unfair of him.

 

Hokuto slowly pulls back, bangs softly pressed against his forehead, and Subaru smiles at him a bit, reaching over to ruffle his fringe.

 

"I'll work hard," Hokuto declares, a serious glint in his eyes, and Subaru raises a brow, undeniably caught off guard.

 

"Uh? For what? And anyway, I know that you always do your best," Subaru points out.

 

"Yeah, I'll work hard," Hokuto repeats with a curt nod, his head falling against Subaru's shoulder again, and Subaru blushes further, embarrassed once more.

 

Seconds pass, and when there's no response to the gentle taps on his back, Subaru realizes that Hokuto had actually fallen asleep.

 

_Not fair_ , Subaru pouts slightly, stretching over to the side to grab the pillows from his bed before placing them on the floor.

 

With all the strength that he has, he carefully leans back onto the pillows, holding onto Hokuto all the while, because lifting him onto the bed would probably be a bit too much for him.

 

The floor is surprisingly more comfortable than he remembers, and he turns to the side, shyly glancing over at Hokuto's sleeping face.

 

The light from the sunset filtering through his curtain colors his dark hair a slight tinge of orange, something that Subaru doesn't always see directly, and smiles, glad that it's Hokuto.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

The distance between them that Hokuto had previously discovered closes progressively, soundlessly, throughout the rest of their days in high school.

 

Although neither of them had formally said it, the two of them decide to let their relationship continue the same way as it had since the first day it had been established; slowly and naturally, because neither of them could see any part of it being forced.

 

Hokuto likes to do little things that add a bit more meaning to the day, such as quietly linking their hands together during the train ride home, or nonchalantly brushing Subaru's fringe away from his eyes.

 

For Subaru, those are actions that he equally treasures, because no matter what, the short brushes of Hokuto's skin against his is always warm and soothing, and at the end of the day, he likes to close his eyes and try to recollect every moment.

 

Subaru thinks it might be exaggerated and possibly too early for him to think of these days as the 'happiest days of his life,' but when he sits down and thinks back on it all, its the only thought that comes to mind.

 

"Hokke," Subaru calls out, and Hokuto glances over at him, still in the process of eating a pork skewer.

 

"What is it?" Hokuto asks, after patting his mouth with a napkin, and Subaru can't help but be amused with his typical table manners.

 

"Nothing," Subaru replies, somewhat bright, because in all honesty, he had just felt like saying his name, for not much of any reason.

 

Hokuto stares at him carefully, a short pause ensuing, before he continues eating, probably deciding to attribute it to Subaru's usual weird behavior.

 

"Akehoshi," Hokuto says, after a while, and Subaru blinks over at him, a brief spark in his eyes.

 

"Hokke," Subaru grins back, and from the standpoint of any stranger, their conversation might have come off as useless.

 

"Stop that," Hokuto finally sighs, leaning over just slightly to the side to nudge his shoulder in retaliation.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

"Alrighty, I'm turning off the lights," Subaru says, reaching over towards the lamp on his bedside table.

 

"Wait. I'm not tired yet," Hokuto tells him, despite being snugly tucked into the bed, his arms comfortably resting over the blanket on his chest.

 

"Huh. I thought you would be all 'we should go to sleep early and get our rest,'" Subaru says, trying an imitation of his voice, which Hokuto returns with a dull look.

 

"But anyway, it's been a while since you slept over. Are you home sick or something?" Subaru continues, persistently poking at his arm, and Hokuto sighs.

 

"Seriously, sometimes I don't know how I ended up liking someone like you," Hokuto says, and Subaru instantly inches away, cheeks a florid shade of pink, which he hopes the light from the lamp doesn't catch.

 

"Hey, wait, you don't mean that like, _seriously_ , right?" Subaru asks, a slight pout to his cheek, frowning when Hokuto doesn't answer.

 

"I'm kidding," Hokuto finally replies, a small smile on his face, the kind type, and Subaru presses his lips into a tight line, suddenly feeling thankful towards life.

 

"Although, sometimes..." Hokuto trails off, and Subaru hastily opens his mouth when he thinks that Hokuto is still messing with him, before he realizes that he's serious.

 

"Ah, it's nothing bad though," Hokuto quickly says, when he notices the look in Subaru's eyes.

 

"It's fine. I want to hear your thoughts, Hokke," Subaru tells him, honest, his bright blue eyes subsiding to a quiet shimmer.

 

Hokuto looks at him for a while, the person who matters so much to him, before he glances up at the ceiling.

 

For a few seconds, the imagery of Subaru in their first year comes to mind, looking somewhat lonely, somewhat lost, but still giving him a smile whenever it counted the most.

 

He had started out from someone who was in the same class as him, to someone who was in the same unit as him, to someone whom he could genuinely trust, to someone that he never wanted to let go of, and Hokuto briefly closes his eyes, connecting each point like constellations.

 

He takes in a deep breath, finalizing his thoughts.

 

"It's like when you're looking at the stars. They're bright, and really calming to look at," Hokuto comments, eyes somehow distant.

 

"But they're also so far away," he continues, recalling the time where he had realized that he hadn't known Subaru as well as he thought he had.

 

Subaru stares at him, quiet, but in all honesty, he sort of likes how Hokuto sometimes uses stars as an analogy to their relationship. It makes things feel more personal between them, makes him feel more cared for, and without completely meaning to, he finds himself smiling over at Hokuto.

 

"I'm right here though, Hokke," Subaru tells him, and their eyes meet, softly illuminating.

 

"Yeah," Hokuto replies, feeling the ends of his lips tug upward.

 

After a few moments, Hokuto suddenly clears his throat, realizing that it's more embarrassing for him than he thought, for them to be abruptly smiling at each other against the dim light from the lamp on Subaru's bedside table.

 

Subaru does the same, hastily throwing himself under the blankets, despite feeling too warm.

 

"...Good night," he hears Hokuto say, undeniably awkward, and Subaru realizes that he can still feel himself smiling.

 

He shifts, briefly pulling one arm out from the covers to turn off the light, before muttering a muffled, "Good night," against the blankets, still feeling embarrassed, but without a doubt, in love.

**Author's Note:**

> i've always wanted to write an established relationship subahokkke thing but in the end it was nothing much cries. (thank you for reading!)
> 
> most active at: https://twitter.com/kuuroken


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